


Flower Crowns, Birthdays, and Ice Cream Cakes

by Intern_Seraph



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: 2 years Post-Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Another Story spoilers, Done for the prompt "Birthday", Established Relationship, Look man i just want everyone to be happy, Other, Romantic Fluff, V Route Spoilers, Vanderwood and Seven make minor appearances, au where saeran is saved too and gets proper treatment for his Issues, kind of a combo of the secret ending and another story lol, reader is gender-neutral, spoilers for 707's real name
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-19
Updated: 2017-10-19
Packaged: 2019-01-19 09:37:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12407823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Intern_Seraph/pseuds/Intern_Seraph
Summary: It's been just over 2 years since you, Saeran, and V had escaped from Mint Eye together, and it also happens to be Saeran's birthday. You decide to try and make the first birthday you two celebrate together extra-special.





	Flower Crowns, Birthdays, and Ice Cream Cakes

**Author's Note:**

> My friend gave me the prompt "birthday" and told me to write for Ray. This ended up far more Saeran-oriented, but hey....  
> I just wanted to do some fluff with him being happy and getting the care and treatment he needs  
> (I included some references to Saeran's OSDD, but my research was fairly limited, so I apologize for any misinformation, that was not my intention.)

With his treatments going so well and the 2-year anniversary of your escape from Mint Eye having just passed, you figure that it’s time to have a little celebration. Luckily, you have the perfect opportunity coming up: Saeran’s birthday is tomorrow. You already have your plan in place for the celebration, the only thing left to do is wait and hope everything goes as planned.

-

“Good morning, my ray of sunshine!” you whisper-sing as you open his bedroom door, balancing the tray laden with food on your hip.

He stirs slightly under the sheets at the sound of your voice. “MC?” The duvet rustles, and you’re greeted by a groggy golden gaze. His eyes widen as the smell of breakfast hits his nose. “What’s all this?” Saeran sits up fully to rub the sleep out of his eyes and stare.

“Breakfast in bed, of course!” You walk over to him and set the tray down on his nightstand. He leans his head forward and you brush his bangs out of the way to brush a kiss against his forehead. Ray seems to be co-fronting right now, you can tell by the way he tries to follow your touch rather than jolt away. You hover your lips above his skin for a second more before you draw back and whisper, “Happy birthday, Saeran.”

It takes a moment for him to process your words. “... Was that today?” he asks with a small tilt of his head.

Your hand flies to clasp over your heart. “You forgot your own birthday?”

He shrugs lamely. “Well it wouldn’t be the first time—”

“This is absolutely unacceptable!”

“What?” he says with a bemused smile.

“I’m gonna give you the best birthday you’ve ever had!”

He snorts and picks up the chopsticks on the tray. “Well you won’t have too much to go up against.” He punctuates this with a wave of his hand, then begins to eat.

You sit nervously at the side of the bed for a few minutes. “Well, do you like it?” you ask, watching him pick up some of the fruit you had arranged neatly on a plate.

He looks up at you and smiles, sugar-sweet. “It’s amazing, thank you so much.”

You return the grin and move your hand over his. “It’s the least I could do. You’re always so sweet to me,” you say, squeezing his hand gently. His face reddens as you continue, “You deserve to have a great birthday.”

He leans his head against your shoulder. His hand falls back to the plate. “Gah, you’re too good to me…”

Your body shifts, and you press a kiss to the top of his head. “No, I’m not good enough to you.”

He buries his face into your skin and groans loudly. “You can’t just say things like that. Not fair.” He takes a moment to collect himself before pulling away with a lingering kiss to the side of your neck. “Have you eaten yet?”

You scratch the back of your neck. “I had some kimchi while I was making up your breakfast.”

He scowls, then picks up his chopsticks again, grabbing the same piece of fruit. The slice is thrusted at your lips. You jolt at the sudden cool dampness against your skin. “Eat.”

“Wha—Hey, this is for—mph—!” When you open your mouth to argue, he sticks it in, beaming at your overdramatic pout.

“Ha. Cute.”

You chew the fruit, maintaining your pout. When you’re done, you make sure to stick your tongue out at him. “I can’t eat  _ your _ birthday breakfast!”

His lashes flutter innocently. “What if I can only enjoy it  _ with _ you?” He nudges your shoulder with his. He pauses, then adds bashfully, “Also… there’s so much here. I don’t think I can eat it all by myself.”

Your lips form a little ‘o’. “I’ll go get some more chopsticks from the kitchen.” Before you can make a move to get up, he pushes you back down to sit beside him.

“No, I think we can just use the same pair.” He picks up another piece of fruit and waves it in front of your face.

It’s your turn to blush. “Huh?”

“Hm, think of it as part of my birthday gift,” he says this with an infuriatingly cheeky smirk.

“I take it back. No birthday breakfast for you.”

His laugh is captivating. Genuine, calm, joyous. You wish that you can hear it for years to come, you hope that you can make him as relaxed as he is now forever and ever.  _ “Cute,” _ he repeats. He waves the fruit again. “Come on, then. Let’s eat.”

-

You pick up the empty tray when you finally stand. “I’ll let you get ready. I have a lot planned for today!” Before you leave the room, you say over your shoulder, “Don’t forget to take your meds! I put them next to your water!”

“Will do.” With that, you nudge the door closed and head down the hall.

You notice a familiar face when you enter the kitchen. “Morning, Vanderwood.”

“MC.” They deign you with a short nod. You glance at their hands; they’re nursing a mug of coffee.

“Is Saeyoung out?” You get to work on the dishes, washing them faster than usual.

“He’s with that blond kid.” One of the kitchen chairs creaks.

“Out with Yoosung? Good. If he comes back early, can you try and keep him out of the yard? I’d rather not have him harass us.”

There’s a curt laugh. “Of course. You owe me, though.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll figure out how to pay you back soon.” You finish up with the dishes and duck down to the cabinets. “Now, where’s the gift…”

_ “MC, I’m almost ready!” _

“Shit—! Where… found it!” You scoop up the little wrapped box and shut the cabinet door as soon as Saeran enters the kitchen. He’s dressed up—as nicely as one can when it’s the middle of the summer and you’re trying not to melt—and has his sea-green contacts in. You notice also that Vanderwood has slipped away.

“What’s that?”

“A secret!”

He hovers behind you and tries to reach out to grab the box. He gives a soft whine when you move it away from his grabby hands. “But it’s for  _ me, _ isn’t it?”

“Yeah, but not for  _ now!” _ You duck away from him and scamper out to the yard. A quiet giggle escapes you when you hear him jog after you in hot pursuit. You burst out into the dewy morning air, suddenly enveloped by the scent of the flowers that fill the garden. It’s still cool out, although you know that it won’t last long.

Lost in thought, you don’t realize that your boyfriend (Boyfriend!) has caught up to you until his arms wrap solidly around your waist and he lifts you clear off the ground.

“Eyaaaa! Saeran!” You grip onto his arms in a vice as he spins you. “Put me doooown!”

He laughs again, and you feel yourself fall in love all over again. You almost don’t feel your feet hit the ground. “I’m guessing you want to take a walk?” His breath is hot on your ear when he speaks.

“Yeah. I want to spend some quality time here with you before I give you your gifts.”

His eyes light up like a little kid who’s just been told they can stay up past their bedtime. “There’s more than one?”

“Mhm!” You lock arms with him, intertwining your fingers together. The two of you set out through the garden, weaving down the worn cobble path that the twins and you had set out a year ago. The flowers are full and fragrant in the summer breeze. Saeran’s prized rosebushes grow tall and proud at the edges of the garden, blocking out the rest of the neighborhood. It’s fine with you. The yard feels like a fairytale world, another land separate from reality.

Halfway through your walk, you stop at one of the rosebushes and kneel. You reach underneath, feeling Saeran’s puzzled stare on your back. You pull out one of the garden tool boxes that are scattered about the yard and retrieve a set of garden shears and scissors.

“What are  _ those _ for, MC?”

“I’m gonna make a crown for the birthday boy, of course.”

He laughs in surprise. “What?”

“You, the king of my heart, ruler of the flower kingdom.” You brandish the shears. “Snip snip.”

“Hmm…” He makes a show out of thinking. “Well, if my loyal subject insists…”

You spend at least an hour running around the garden with him and collecting flowers for the crown. They’re stacked up on the bench in the little gazebo you and Saeran had built together, where you rinse the petals and trim the thorns.

He sits patiently, watching you twist and braid the stems together into a circlet. You point out each blossom and recite its meaning, calling to mind the lessons he had given you on the language of flowers.

“White carnations for pure love and good luck, red ones for deep love and admiration; forget-me-nots for undying love and a connection through time; a red rose, of course, for romantic love,” your fingers brush the petals and your knuckles knock with his, “a sunflower, for loyalty and steadfastness; and some sprigs of white heather for independence, good luck…” You swallow thickly, then meet his eyes, “And fulfillment of a dream.” He catches your meaning after a moment, and his face burns red. You lift up the crown and he dips his head so you can put it on.

“How do I look?” he asks, adjusting the flowers on his head so that the top of the crown rests high on his head.

You beam at him. “Adorable! So handsome!”

He responds with a look of pride. “Think so?” He eyes the little box that sits on the bench behind you. “So, can I get my gift now…?”

You shake your head, and he whines. “First we should have your other gift! Lemme grab it from the kitchen.”

“Kitchen..?”

-

“MC?”

“Yeah?”

“Have I ever told you how much I love you?”

You laugh and hold out the ice cream cake. “Let’s light the candles, birthday boy!”

You sing Happy Birthday for him as you light the candles and watch his eyes brighten when the little flames are out and he has a slice of cake in his hands. “God, I love you.”

You enjoy the cake together, sitting under the shade of the gazebo with the sun high in the sky. When the cake is gone (Read: stored in the freezer for later), you finally pick up the little gift box. He perks up attentively and watches your trembling hands as you start to speak. “I’ve been waiting for a while to give you this… I, uh, hope you like it.”

He takes the box and carefully tears away the wrapping. A ring box. His eyes dart up to you, questioning. You signal for him to open it.

“What…” He stares at the two little silver-banded rings, glides his fingers across the smooth metal and over the shimmering brown stones. “... Is this a proposal?”

You flush bright red. “No, no! These aren’t engagement rings—!” You reach out and take your ring, sliding it on your finger, then take his and carefully do the same. “They’re promise rings.”

“What’s that?” He stares at the ring, and tilts his hand this way and that to see the stone catch the light and sparkle.

“They’re meant to symbolize a promise or a deep bond… I want these to mean that we’ll stay together, always.”

He’s quiet for a moment, then looks up at you. His voice is choked slightly when he speaks, “And the stone?”   
You weave your fingers together with his. “Desert rose. It’s, ah, supposed to help with clarity and strength and… it looks like a flower. When I saw it in the shop, I thought of you.”

He closes his eyes tightly, then puts the box to the side and pulls you to him in an embrace. He buries his face in the crook of your neck. You can feel a cool dampness steadily spread across your skin, and he shakes as he holds you close. Your arms wind around him, and you sway gently as he cries.

“Thank you. Thank you so much. For the rings, for the food, for today, for what you did back at Mint Eye… you’re so good to me. You’re too good to me.” He sniffles, flutters his damp lashes against your skin. “Love you. I love you.”

“I love you, too. You deserve the world, Saeran,” you’re crying, too, hiccupping and curling your fingers into his shirt. You hold each other close, so close that you think it difficult to find where you end and he begins.

The two of you remain that way for another minute, rocking and hugging and whispering words of love. When his tears stop falling, he pulls back and cups your face in his hands. He’s still unsteady, his lips are trembling and his eyes are red and puffy. He leans in close and kisses you hard, rubs circles into your cheeks with his thumbs, shivers when you reciprocate and glide your fingers through the soft hair at the back of his neck. You cherish the moment. It had taken months for him to be alright with feather-light touches: the memories of pain and hurt masked as love had turned him into an anxious, distrustful man. Healing was an uphill battle, and, although you’re loath to admit it, it still is.

_ (In the back of your mind, you remember the first time he had been so close and so affectionate: the day after your initial escape, when you had held him close on the sofa in Saeyoung’s safehouse in a vain attempt to hold back the demons that haunted him and calm his pounding, ceaseless headaches when Vanderwood’s treatments had reached their limits. For a brief moment, you wonder what would have happened had you not have whisked him away from Rika. You quickly decide that that is too horrible to imagine.) _

He pulls back just enough to press his nose against yours. His gaze is intense, you can almost see the myriad of emotions going through his mind. He sighs. “I’m sorry, that was…”

“Hey, I don’t mind,” you bring your hands up to his face, as well. “There’s nothing for you to apologize for.”

He blinks owlishly at you. “... Really?” When you nod, he breathes out a quiet, relieved sigh, then leans back in to pepper butterfly kisses across your face. “Today… has been… fantastic…” he whispers between kisses.

You reach up and brush your fingers against the petals adorning his head. “Well… it’s only past noon. The day’s not over yet.” You slip away from him, ignoring his grunt of surprise. “Hold up, I have more planned.”

_ “More?” _

You rummage around under the bench for a minute or so before you find the speaker you’d sequestered away the night before and turn it on. Soft, lilting violins pour out into the quiet garden. You rise to your feet and hold out a hand to your bewildered boyfriend. “May I have this dance?”

He hesitantly reaches out and accepts your offer. From what you know, he has some idea of how to slow dance. You have some experience, with it, yourself, but you let him shakily take the lead. The two of you twirl around the gazebo, then the garden until the sun passes below the horizon and you both realize that your stomachs have been growling for half an hour.

You both lock eyes for a beat, surprised into silence, before you start laughing, and he joins in.

“We should… we should probably take care of that, huh?”

You turn the speaker off and whip out your phone.   
_ MC: hey vanderwood is the house still saeyoung-free _

_ Vanderwood: The coast is clear _

_ Vanderwood: Why? _

_ MC: saeran and i just realized that we need to actually eat lolol _

_ Vanderwood: What about that cake you bought? _

_ MC: ice cream alone cannot sate our endless hunger _

_ MC: also we haven’t had real food since this morning lol _

_ Vanderwood: you’re just as bad as 707;;; _

_ Vanderwood: come inside and get some dinner _

_ MC: will do _

“We’re clear to enter the house,” you announce. “Let’s go eat.”

-

Dinner is brief but filling. Vanderwood stays for a few minutes to finish what’s left of their own meal and give Saeran a short  _ ‘Happy birthday’ _ before retreating to their room and once more leaving you two to yourselves. While you wash the dishes together, you start talking.   
“You want to just head to bed early?”

He looks at you out of the corner of his eye. “Same bed..?”

“If that’s okay with you, yeah.” There’s a small, nagging feeling in the back of your mind that you might have already taken too much from him, that now he’d want you to back off—

“Sure.” He finishes up the last dish and turns to look at you with a smile. “I’d love to end today like that… it sounds fun.”

“Oh… oh!” You laugh softly. “Oh, wow, I, uh, didn’t think you’d actually say yes.”

He cocks his head to the side. “Then why did you ask?”

You look away from him and shrug. “... I like being close with you. Figured it was worth a try.”

It’s his turn to be surprised. “... Oh. That’s…” He clears his throat and starts walking with you to his room. “I like being close with you, too…”

He opens the door, you both scramble to get ready for bed. When you’re both under the covers together, nervous and shaking like middle schoolers (Even though you are certainly grown adults who have kissed and are dating each other), he reaches over and tugs you to him. He buries his face in your hair—he still has a lingering flowery scent to him from the crown sitting on his dresser—and breathes in deep as though he’s memorising your scent. You look up at him, quirk your eyebrow.

“I’m just nervous,” he murmurs, “that I’ll close my eyes and I’ll wake up and you won’t be here, and today was just a dream.”

You wrap your arms around him and squeeze. “I’m not going anywhere. I love you. Happy birthday.”

 

Bonus:

You’re half-asleep when you hear your phone vibrating on the nightstand. You wiggle your way out of Saeran’s grasp to answer the call.

“Hello..?”

_ “MC!!!” _

“Saeyoung?” You hear Saeran stir beside you as you ask, “Is something up?”

_ “We’re going out for a birthday dinner and wanted to know if Saeran was coming! Oh, and you, too!” _

“Who is it, MC?” your boyfriend mumbles. You press a finger to your lips and mouth, ‘You’ll hear in a sec.’

“Sorry, Saeyoung, we have plans for tonight.”

_ “Aw, really? I was hoping to spend our birthday together…” _ He sounds genuinely disappointed, and it makes your heart hurt for a moment.

“Sorry again.”

_ “It’s fine… so, MC, if you two can’t come… then what  _ are _ you doing?” _

You bite your lip to hold back a giggle. “Well me, personally? That’d have to be… your brother. I’m sure you can guess his plans from there.”

You hang up in the middle of a scandalized shriek on the other end. Your phone is placed back onto the nightstand, and you snuggle back into Saeran’s arms.

“How’d it go..?”

“I think I gave your brother a heart attack, but we won’t be bothered until tomorrow, I think.”

He sighs and his eyes flutter shut again. “Thank god…”

You both finally fall asleep together, uninterrupted for the rest of the night.

 

Extra Bonus:

The next morning, you wake up early, with a pair of strong, skinny arms wound tight around your body, and a face buried in your chest. You shift, and your bedmate’s grip increases. You hear the mop of red fluff mutter grumpily, something about how,  _ “Pillows shouldn’t move” _ , and just by his tone of voice you can tell that Unknown had taken Ray’s place sometime during the night. You gently stroke your fingers through his hair and try to fall back asleep with a fleeting thought on how you’re bound to be kicked out of bed when he finally wakes.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and/or kudos are always appreciated! c:


End file.
